Pickings
by eddases19
Summary: Set during the episode 'Hand of God', Kat makes her first combat kill. Probably inaccurate, but I don't honestly care. Oneshot.


This is the tale of Kat's first combat kill. Set during the episode in season 1 'Hand of God', it's my first _Galactica _fic. Enjoy. Just a warning, it's probably inaccurate, because she probably made it earlier and I haven't seen that episode for a while and can't be bothered to check out the transcripts, but hey, it doesn't matter that much, does it?

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**Pickings**

The orange hue of the planetoid filled her cockpit as she raced along the surface, covering Hotdog and Chuckles. Louanne Katarine – known as Kat to her wingmates – was focused on the battle at hands, aware at all times of the action taking place without the cockpit, her hands in control of the yoke of the Viper Mk. II at all times, its sleek bodywork being propelled forwards by the tri-engines at speeds of hundreds of miles an hour. One mistake and she was dead, she knew. She could go careering off into Hotdog or Chuckles, or she could plummet to the surface of the planetoid.

She was determined not to let that happen.

Battle chatter filled the wireless, instructions always coming from Starbuck or Apollo or from CIC on the _Galactica,_ which was stationed well away from the planetoid, a presence looming over the Cylon base and refinery. The Viper squadron of _Galactica_ was streaking towards the refinery, Apollo and Starbuck at the front, taking Cylon Raider and turret fire without seeming to take damage, but Kat knew that they were simply avoiding the fire through experience, something that she didn't have in battle, for all her civilian exploits.

Over the wireless there came a sharp, harsh noise and Chuckles say, _"Oh, frak." _One glance to her right and she saw Chuckles' Viper, another Mk. II, its cockpit hood damaged, the damage clearly coming from a stray bullet. She saw Chuckles take his hand from his yoke and feel his chest.

"Chuckles!" Kat shrieked into the wireless as Chuckles slumped in his cockpit, dead from a bullet wound. Taking her mind off the battle at hand, she watched as Chuckles' Viper went spiralling out of control, smashing into the surface of the planetoid, the orange in Kat's cockpit intensifying as the Viper exploded. For a second, Kat imagined that she could see Chuckles' charred corpse flying into space.

"_Kat! Concentrate!" _Hotdog's calm voice came over the wireless, jolting Kat back to the battle. She saw that she'd been wandering and had let herself lag behind the rest of the squadron.

"Sorry, Hotdog. I was-"

"_Keep the chatter down, nuggets," _cut in Starbuck. _"Concentrate on the fight, not on apologies. You can apologise if you make it back to _Galactica _alive."_

"Roger, Starbuck," said Kat, adjusting her yoke slightly before seeing a squadron of Cylon Raiders streaking straight for the Vipers. Determined to avenge the death of Chuckles, Kat pulled her yoke back, seemingly catapulting her into space before sharply twisting it in the opposite direction, so she came onto the Raiders from above.

"Request weapons free," said Kat, flying in towards the Raiders at six hundred miles per hour. She needed her concentration now. If she misjudged pulling up from the dive she'd be nothing but a set of proteins in a puddle on the orange planetoid.

"_Granted," _came Apollo's voice. Kat grinned viciously. Chuckles would be avenged. Her thumb hitting the trigger on the control yoke, fire erupted from her guns and the Viper rattled with the bullets being expelled. Below her, the Raiders scattered.

"_Oh, yeah! I got one!"_

"_Good shot, Hotdog!"_

"_Starbuck, on your six!"_

"_Easy, Duck, I got him."_

Chatter erupted over the wireless again as the Vipers engaged the Raiders, a number of the Raiders exploding before they opened fire, a couple more only managing to fire off a quick burst before they, too, were reduced to fire and fragments. The survivors veered off, trying to lure the Vipers away from the refinery, but Kat knew Apollo had already left the main group of Vipers to destroy the complex on his own. Their efforts would be futile.

Watching the Raiders for a sign of weakness, Kat saw one with smoke billowing from its wing, hit by one or more bullets as it attacked the _Galactica'_s Vipers. Designating it as her target, Kat accelerated, keeping the damaged Raider in her sights.

It was as though the Raider knew it was being followed, twisting away immediately, forcing Kat to look around for where it had gone for a moment. Spotting it flying away beneath her, she manoeuvred the Viper about and gunned the engines, swiftly closing in on the Raider, which started to twist and turn, left and right, up, down, any direction it could in order to get away from Kat's pursuit. Kat wouldn't let him throw her off. It had thrown her off his trail once far too easily and she wouldn't lose him again.

There was another burst of chatter over the wireless, but Kat didn't let herself be distracted as he pulled the trigger again as the Raider led her towards the refinery, twisting away before they flew directly overhead, almost shaking Kat off his tail, but just failing. Kat twisted to follow it again and fired. She saw the Raider shake in her hail of bullets and smoke began to engulf it before it exploded.

"For Chuckles," she muttered, turning back to see another explosion, this time massive and on the surface of the planet. Over the wireless she could hear whoops of pleasure and exitement.

"Galactica_, mission accomplished. It looks like Dr. Baltar was right on the money." _Apollo's voice was shot with excitement.

Kat smiled as she joined up with the rest of the Vipers and started to head back to the _Battlestar Galactica,_ now a beacon of hope against the Cylons more than it had ever been. She had taken part in the offensive which had given the Twelve Colonies their first victory over the Cylons and she had a combat kill into the bargain.

But there had still been Chuckles. Her roommate, her comrade, and her friend. his loss was hard to accept and wasn't one which could be taken lightly, as the _Galactica _loomed large in her cockpit.

She wouldn't forget Chuckles.


End file.
